Method of and means for manufacturing cheese



Oct. 20, 1959 J. M. A. c. BERGE METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR MANUFACTURING CHEESE Filed Jan. 23, 1957 2 Sheet s-Sheet 1 Oct. 20, 1 959 J. M. A. c. BERGE 2,908,973

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR MANUFACTURING CHEESE Filed Jan. 23, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 766' 1." L 77a g' l W/AgV/AV //////W a5 r Z United StatcsPatent O METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR MANUFAC- TURING CHEESE Jacques Marie Albert Charles Berge, Prechac, France Application January 23, 1957, Serial No. 635,847 7 Claims. (Cl. 31-46) The present invention relates to cheesemaking.

In a prior co-pending US. patent application No. 432,005, filed May 21, 1954, now Patent 2,877,119, a method of manufacturing cheese was described whereby the curds or coagulated milk parts to be used in the preparation of cheese are drained by treating them without any compressive action-in containers having yielding and permeable walls; in this method the curds are allowed to retain a free surface during the draining step, and a relatively slow motion is imparted thereto in the aforesaid containers in order to accelerate the draining operation.

The apparatus utilized up to now for carrying this known process is characterized by several drawbacks.

Thus, the usual trough shape of the containers and their relative arrangement require as a rule a considerable floor space, so that when contemplating a cheesemaking plant based on this method the rooms and buildings intended therefor require substantial modifications.

Besides, the draining operation proper is still relatively slow. In fact, after a certain time period the curdled milk, due to its characteristic cohesion, forms a mass which simply rolls within the walls of the container without undergoing the desired internal puddling action, so that the draining action proper is reduced to a minimum at the end of the step. I

Finally, during this operation it is necessary to carry out a number of handling steps such as scraping the cloth,

mixing the paste in the cloth containers, etc. to facilitate the draining. a

It is the essential object of this invention to provide an improved method whereby the various inconveniences listed hereinabove may be avoided, this method being remarkable notably in that it consists in pouring the curds into a series 'of trough-shaped containers having yielding and permeable walls, which are suspended from common beams or like members, said beams or like members being suspended in turn at a certain height above the ground or floor, and imparting vertical reciprocations alternately to said beams or like members so as to oscillate the corresponding side walls of all the containers simultaneously.

Thus, with this method it is possible to take the best possible advantage of the free space overlying the containers in a given room by disposing all the component elements of the apparatus or installation directly under the room ceiling.

According to another feature of this invention, the side walls of the containers are so connected to the aforesaid beams as to displace these walls substantially at right angles to their planes or to the longitudinal axis of each container, and during the draining operation the two side walls of each container are progressively moved toward each other.

As a consequence of this arrangement, if at the beginning of a draining operation a series of containers of the aforesaid type are disposed side by side so as to cover the etnire floor space available in the room at a certain level above the floor, this space is no longer occupied .2 completely during the entire operation. Thus, after fifteen mi-nutes it is reduced to of the initial floor space occupied, and will represent only about 30% due at the end of the operation to the progressive movement of the side walls of the containerstoward each other, so that it is no longer necessary to provide clearing passages or the like since these are created automatically during the operation.

On the other hand the closing up of the cloths em-' ployed in the apparatus accelerates to a substantial degree the draining step for it makes it possible to exert on the draining mass of curds a'lateral pressure providing the desired internal puddling action in spite of the cohesion which the curds may have attained after a certain draining time. Consequently a fully drained paste may be obtained even if the containers enclose initially considerable amounts of material, so that a singlescraping operation will be sufiicient to recover all the curds, the draining proper taking place finally without any other handling step than the progressive automatic movement of the cloths toward each other. 7

This invention is also concerned with an installation of the type described in the co-pending U.SL patent application No. 432,005, filed May 21, 1954, now Patent 2,877,119, for carrying out the method broadly set forth hereinabove. This installation makes use of deformable pervious trough-shaped containers similar to those described in said co-pending application but provides an arrangement of said containers substantially different and remarkable notably in that it comprises longitudinal elements such as beams or like members which are suspended at a certain level above the floor, mechanical means for imparting to said elements through their suspension members a vertical reciprocating movement, and troughshaped containers having yielding and permeable walls which are adapted to contain the curds, said containers being suspended by their side walls from said elements, beams or the like, and so connected thereto that each longitudinal element or a plurality of associated elements to which reciprocating movements are imparted will transmit simultaneously corresponding movements to one of the side walls of a plurality of theaforesaid containers and through their conjugate movements oscillate these containers in unison.

Other features and advantages of this invention will appear as the following description proceeds with reference to the attached drawings forming part of this specification and illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a typical embodiment of the invention. In the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a perspective, part-sectional view showing a draining installation according to this invention;

7 Figure 2 is an end view taken in the direction of the arrow F of Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a front view taken in the direction of the arrow G of Figure l.

like surface 2 comprises a motor or power source 3 for example in the form of an electromotor 4 driving through a belt 5 a reduction gear 6 of which the output shaft carries a plate or like wheel 7 having an eccentric or crank pin 8.

A connecting-rod 9 pivoted at one end of the eccentric pin 8 is privoted at its other end 10 on a pin 11 carried by a central coupling member 12 for example of H configuration which, during the rotation of the motor 4, is driven from the connecting-rod 9 and performs a horizontal reciprocating motion in the direction of the arrows f and g. The coupling member 12 is connected through the ends of each of its side branches to a pair of operating chains 13, 13' each chain passing over a pair of sprockets 14, 14a and 14', 14a, respectively, which are mounted on two driving shafts 15 and 15a.

These two driving shafts .are disposed on either sides of the coupling member 12 and mounted in parallel above the ceiling 2 and for example along the greater dimension of the room 1 in which they are supported by end bearings 16, 16a. On each of these shafts 15, 15a are wedged sprockets 17, 17a respectively, over which are passed other chains or like connecting members 18, 18a having their depending ends anchored for example by means of hooks 19 or longitudinal elements, for example beams, rods or like elements 20, 20' and 20a, 20'a respectively.

These beams or like members may consist of I-seotion, .L-sections, or the like, of which the lower flange constitutes a guiding rail adapted to receive trolleys or rollermounted yokes 21 from which are suspended the draining containers 22.

Considering now one of these containers (see Figures 2 and 3) it will be seen that it consists for example of a yielding cloth having its two side walls 23, 23 registering with each other and forming with two end walls 24 a trough so disposed that its axis is substantially at right angles to the direction of the carrier elements 20, 20a and 20a. The edges of the lateral walls 23, 23' of container 22 are provided with rigid reinforcing elements 25, 25' such as rods, tubes or the like, the ends of these reinforcing elements extending through hooks or like suspension members 26 forming the lower end of suspension rods 27 having in turn their upper ends anchored to the trolleys or roller-carried yokes 21.

Each trolley 21 may comprise for example a U-shaped member of which the lower transverse member 28 supports the upper end of the rod or like suspension member 27 and the side arms 28' carry rollers 29 engaging the lower flange 30 of a beam 20.

Of course, the configuration and type of these trolleys 21, whether of the single-rail or double-rail type is immaterial as far as the principle of the invention is concerned. Regarding the rail proper on which the trolleys 21 are rotatably supported, it may also be independent of the beam or like member 20 and be suspended, if desired, from the latter.

The reinforcing rods 25, 25' of a same container 22 are connected through the suspension members 27 and trolleys 21 to a pair of beams 20, 20' and 20a, 20a so that the reinforcing member 25' for example may be actuated at either ends from the beam pair 20a, 20'a and that the other reinforcing rod 25 be actuated from the beam pair 20, 20a, both beams of any one of these pairs being reciprocated in the vertical direction to the same extent and in the same direction, due to the movement imparted to the shafts 15, 15a by the chains 13, 13' as already set forth.

As a consequence of this arrangement, the downward movement of the beams 20', 20'a is attended by that of the armature 25 and consequently of the side wall 23 of container 22, while the beams 20, 20a move upwards and produce the reverse movement of the other wall 23' of the same container 22.

When the reverse movement occurs an oscillation is obtained of which the repeated occurrence produces the desired continuous stirring and puddling action during the draining of the mass of curds treated in the installation.

If all the containers 22 of a series are connected in side by side relationship to the pair of beams 20, 20', 20a, 20'a, the arrangement illustrated in Figure 3 may be obtained wherein a common trolley 21 has suspended therefrom through its suspension member 27 and through the hook 26 of this member the reinforcing rods 25a, 25'b equipping the adjacent side walls of two adjacent containers 22a, 22b.

It will be readily understood that the reciprocating motion in the direction of the arrows f and g of the chains 13, 13' determines, through the upand downward motion impressed thereby to the two pairs of beams 20, 20a and 20, 20'a, the simultaneous oscillation of all the containers 22 adjacent to one another and suspended from these four beams.

For progressively causing the side walls of each container to move toward each other during the draining operation, two frames, plates or like members 31 (see Figure 3) may be provided, which are suspended like the containers 22 from the beams 20 and 20a for example by means of suspension members 27 and trolleys 21 similar to those already described hereinabove, these frames or plates 31 being parallel to the axis of the relevant containers. A plurality of these plates or frames 31 may be disposed between the containers or, as shown in Figure 2, only two elements disposed on either sides of a series of containers joined side by side, traction members 32 such as ropes, cables or the like interconnecting the two frames 31 by means of guiding pulleys 33, for example, so that when the free ends 34 of the ropes or like traction members 32 are pulled the two frames 31, 31 are moved towards each other and all the containers disposed therebetween have their sides brought closer to each other.

Of course, it is also possible to act directly upon the trolleys 21 supporting the containers for causing the side walls of these containers to move toward each other during the draining operation.

Other arrangements outside the one specifically described andshown herein may be contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if desired, the containers may be suspended in end to end relationship and their reinforcing rods aligned and driven from a common suspended beam. It is also possible to suspend these containers directly beneath the beams without utilizing the rolling trolleys 21.

In the example illustrated in the drawings it is assumed that the power and transmission units comprising the motor 4, reduction gear 6 connecting-rod 9 and driving chains 13, 13' as well as the transmission shafts 15, 15a were disposed above a ceiling forming the upper limit of the room 1 in which the draining operation is carried out. To this end orifices 35 are provided, for example, in the ceiling 2 for the passage of the control chains 18 and 18a.

It would not constitute a departure from this invention to provide fixed or semi-fixed installations utilizing scaffoldings or gantries .for supporting the fixed and movable parts, these scaifoldings or gantries comprising a detachable upper portion playing the same part as the ceiling 2 in the space 1 of the drawings.

Furthermore, the beams may also be oscillated by using motors or prime movers of any desired description outside the conventional electromotor illustrated in the drawings; moreover, pneumatic, hydraulic or other devices with or without reduction gear may be substituted for the conventional crankpin and connecting-rod arrangement illustrated.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown and described herein, as many modifications and alterations may be brought thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device for manufacturing cheese comprising trough-shaped containers for receiving the curd to be drained, said containers having two freely suspended flexible yielding and permeable side walls, and a yielding and permeable bottom, vertically movable parallel overhead tracked beam means from which said containers are suspended by wheeled means in series by their side walls substantially parallelly to each other, each of said containers being disposed substantially perpendicularly to said overhead beam means and having their side walls displaceable substantially parallelly to said overhead beam means, and vertical actuating power means connected to said beam means for driving said beam means L A u in a continuous reciprocating vertical movement so that veach of said containers is brought into the same continuous oscillating motion.

2. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which said beam means are associated by pairs and so driven by said power means that two beam means of a same pair are at substantially the same level and have a same reciprocating movement, each of said containers having their both side walls suspended respectively from two pairs of beam means having reciprocating movements of opposite directions.

3. Device as claimed in claim 2 comprising lower flanges forming runways on said beam means, carriage means independent from each other on said runways, and traction means attached to said carriage means, the side walls of said containers being each connected by one end to one of said carriage means.

4. Device as claimed in claim 3 comprising a series of parallelly disposed trough-shaped containers, two pairs of beam means wherefrom said containers are suspended, traction means for connecting to each other the beam means of said pairs which reciprocate in two opposite directions, overhead return means whereon-said traction means are caused to pass, and a common reciprocating driving means for rotating periodically in alternating directions said return means, said return means driving in turn in a vertical reciprocating movement said traction means.

5. Device as claimed in claim 3 comprising an actuating device cooperating with the side walls of said containers for moving the side walls of each container toward each other during the draining operation.

6. Device as claimed in claim 5 comprising movable plate means disposed near and parallelly to the side walls of the containers, carriage means for suspending said plate means from said beam means, and traction means for actuating said plate means while causing them to move substantially perpendicularly the side walls of said containers and to bring said side walls nearer to each other.

7. Device as claimed in claim 6 comprising a series of parallelly disposed trough-shaped containers, said plate means being formed by two frames disposed at either ends of said series.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,338,285 Harry Jan. 4, 1944 2,366,553 Petersen Jan. 2, 1945 2,567,957 Miollis Sept. 18, 1951 

